The key for Tolle to win Boston's 5th starter spot? Secondary command

FORT MYERS, Fla. -- What did lefty fireballer Payton Tolle's offseason development look like?

“Actually, nothing. I just threw fastballs the entire offseason,” quipped Tolle.

The always-entertaining Tolle was just trying to keep things light.

MLB Pipeline’s No. 19 prospect is well aware that all the buzz surrounding him after his seven-appearance cameo in the Majors late last season is that he needs to improve his secondary command so his upper-90s, four-seam fastball can play at the highest level.

And that’s what he spent the winter focusing on. Tolle was first out of the gate on Saturday as the Sox opened their Grapefruit League slate with a 7-2 win against the Twins.

“It was a process,” Tolle said of his offseason. “Changeups, curveballs, adding the sinker in there. Trying to prioritize those and really hammer in having things that are going to protect the fastball. So that's going to be the big thing this year, and trying to execute those along with executing the fastballs where I need to execute them. I'm excited where I'm at with stuff. Obviously, you can keep getting better.”

In a two-inning stint, Tolle allowed one hit (a mammoth homer by Royce Lewis on a 2-2 fastball). He couldn’t land a changeup to finish Lewis when the count was 1-2. Otherwise, it was a decent first step in his Spring Training progression.

Over his 20-pitch outing, Tolle threw nine four-seamers, three sinkers, three curveballs, two changeups, two cutters and one slider. Of his two swings and misses, one was on a sinker and the other was off a cutter.

The sinker is noteworthy because that’s a new pitch in Tolle’s arsenal. He averaged 95.5 mph with it on Saturday, per Statcast.

When last we saw Tolle in game action prior to Saturday, he was standing on the mound at Yankee Stadium in Game 2 of the AL Wild Card Series, throwing seven pitches to retire Trent Grisham, the one batter manager Alex Cora asked him to get. He kept the game at 4-3 Yankees to end the bottom of the eighth. Though the Red Sox didn’t get that one swing they needed to tie the game on a night they could have clinched a series they wound up losing the next night, it was a big night for the fast-rising lefty.

“It was like being in the middle of The Roman Colosseum, and it felt like a payoff of sorts,” said Tolle. “It’s definitely something that I'll remember forever, and I want to continue to replicate that, hopefully at home.”

The Lee Health Sports Complex, where the Twins play their Spring Training home games, feels a long way from The Roman Colosseum, but that was where Tolle started his mission to win the derby to be the fifth starter for the Red Sox.

The other candidates? Towering righty Johan Oviedo (offseason trade acquisition), fellow lefty prospect Connelly Early (No. 56 in Pipeline’s Top 100) and two veterans who didn’t throw a pitch last season in lefty Patrick Sandoval and righty Kutter Crawford.

Given the early-spring progression for Sandoval and Crawford, it’s possible both those pitchers open the season on the IL.

But even the three-man competition for the final spot would entail considerable intrigue behind the loaded front four in the rotation (Garrett Crochet, Ranger Suárez, Sonny Gray and Brayan Bello).

Tolle, who was the 50th overall pick in the 2024 Draft out of TCU, is excited to be part of the competition.

“It almost goes back to college. And obviously that wasn't too long ago for me,” said Tolle. “Everybody was fighting for that Friday night rotation spot and it kind of takes you back to that. I'm excited about it. I'm just thrilled to be a part of it.”

Last year at this time, Tolle hadn’t even made his debut at High-A Greenville.

When Boston’s starting rotation depth was depleted last season, Tolle found himself in the Major Leagues earlier than anyone expected. He got to be a part of the final stages of a push for the postseason that was clinched in Game No. 160, a thrilling Friday night walk-off win against the Tigers.

“It was kind of a feeling of, I get to tag along, ‘You guys did great’. But it was very exciting and I was just very proud to be a part of that,” Tolle said.

This season, he hopes to be a much more significant part of it. And if he is, it will be a sign that his offseason work was fruitful.

He worked out at a facility in Oklahoma City called “PitchingWRX,” where all the required technology -- plus some tutelage from the coaches there -- let him know his progress in real time.

“I started off with having bad misses,” Tolle said. “I was pitching the changeup armside, yanking a curveball way down, floating a curveball. Now, I'm to the point where I can diagnose my misses. If I push a changeup too high, I can now make the adjustment.”